Capturing Television History, One Voice At A Time

Norman Felton

Director/ Producer

"I wanted to do a medical show. I hadn't been able to do it because CBS said, as the other networks did, 'who wants to go to a hospital? That's the last place....a person comes home from their job and they're going to turn on television and see sick people?' But in radio, I did plenty of them."

About This Interview

In his four-and-a-half hour Archive interview, Norman Felton (1913-2012) discusses his role in radio and in early television in Chicago, as part of the distinguished "Chicago School of Television" with Charlie Andrews and Paul Rhymer. He describes directing live dramas for Robert Montgomery Presents and producing shows for Studio One. He talks extensively about his role as executive producer on the hit series Dr. Kildare and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and the formation of his production company, Arena Productions. Felton also shares his thoughts on colleagues Gene Roddenberry, Sam Rolfe, Grant Tinker and many others. Lee Goldberg conducted the interview in Woodland Hills, CA on November 12, 1997.